The Tribune
Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, March 25
March 26, 2017
A girl observes the painting at the exhibition. Tribune File photo
The exhibition organised by the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, which recently concluded at the Virsa Vihar, brought in a fresh whiff of air and hope for art lovers who are sick of watching kitschy renditions of refurbished themes, which marked paintings at the local galleries for ages.The Akademi is putting in efforts to reinvent the art discourse. A full stop has been put to the age-old norm that is compromising on quality, which is evident from the Akademi’s latest rendering.The atmosphere at this year’s exhibition was marked with a difference with the corner office of the Satya Paul Art Gallery, which dotted with a case carrying nicely stacked exhibition catalogues and souvenirs nicely decked at a table in the centre.Instead of the usual bunch of students or artists sharing a joke, an attendant sold works of Amrita Shergill, other artwork coasters and decorative items.Lalit Kala Akademi president Diwam Manna himself supervised the set up of the exhibition.The involvement of the Akademi at such a level in itself a first for Jalandhar’s nondescript Virsa Vihar.Unlike the former practice of Punjab-based curators choosing the art, this time, the Lalit Kala Akademi brought in Sudarshan Shetty, a curator of Kochi Biennale, as a jurist to select the works to be showcased.City-based painter Basudeb Biswas said, “There has been a change in the effort that was put in. Accomplished artists have been chosen and the involvement of the Lalit Kala Akademi has also been more. We are expecting to see many more changes in the coming days. The art circles in Punjab have been languishing under the burden of clichés – an attempt to reach out to avant-garde art and works is the need of the moment. It is very heartening to see the Akademi thinking on the same lines.”Acclaimed art photographer and president of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi Diwan Manna, said, “The art in Punjab and elsewhere in the country has to be on par with the international art. So far in our area, we haven’t given enough value to the art. We haven’t invested enough in the contemporary art and practices. As the scenario still contuse to prevail, often old poster or calendar versions of the rendition of icons or religious heads is what masquerades for the art. There is lack of a real search for artistic ethos. The art is not being bought for connoisseurship rather just for the sake of it. The public can’t be blamed for that because they haven’t been sat down and they were not explained what art really denotes. A dialogue of art and artists with contemporary times and their response to the status quo is totally missing.”“The exhibition is a well-meaning initiative aimed at reaching out to the art lovers and to initiate a dialogue. Buildings like the Virsa Vihar in Jalandhar and Amristar have been made for a purpose and they have to serve it. They have been catering to commercial interests due to lack of funds and resources. This is the only way to keep afloat. But we are hoping to generate funds and to branch out to various districts and art hubs of the state tapping into artists and talents wherever we can. Many activities like workshops, dialogues, interventions and activities which rope in children, are also being planned to broaden the ambit of the artistic discourse,” he added.